It’s National Teen Driver Safety Week — and With GOOD Reason!!!!

Car crashes are the main cause of teenage deaths every year. AAA has analyzed data on fatal car crashes and found that 16- and 17-year-old drivers are involved in seven times as many crashes as motorists 40 and over.

Even MORE alarming is that teenagers drive worse when they’re with other teens.

For instance, they are far more likely to speed when with their peers. And as you might expect, many of the fatal crashes that occurred took place at night between 11pm and 5am.

Of course, you have to wonder if any parent would allow their teens to drive during those hours!

The report also shows that drinking and driving is on the decline — but of the young teens involved in traffic fatalities from 2005 to 2010, 13 percent were driving alone while under the influence. The number was 18 percent when there were three or more teens on board.

Guess where teens learn their driving habits? Their parents!

Read the full article here and get the scoop on AAA’s graduated licensing program.

For more on teen driver safety programs, like the one sponsored by Bridgestone, click here.